Our Fabulous Vacation: My Liberty of the Seas Photo Review

[Host Faith]

I really enjoyed your review and pictures! Looks like you had a blast!

We sure did!:D Thank you.

 

Great job Chrystal! Nice reveiw. Looking forward to seeing more. We are on the AOS and i am preping to do a reveiw when we get back.

Hopefully it will work.

Needing a vaca bad!!

 

Awesome, I can't wait to read your review, we loved the AOS. I totally understand the need for a vacay, we were all in that frame of mind before sailing. Trying to hold onto the relaxed feeling as long as I can! Enjoy your cruise :)

 

Im having such a great time on YOUR cruise!!! I popped over to the Ports of call Boards looking for some ideas of things to do with 7 eighteen year old boys. Lots of people had lots of suggestions and then I came across one that was very to the point, gave the web address of the driver and promised a review. Lo and Behold~it was YOU! Cant wait to hear how your day was in Cozumel.

 

LOL! That's so funny! Yes, I'm about to post about our amazing day in Coz. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

[Host Faith]

James Andrews (CD) looks like he is enjoying himself as usual, bit of an embarrasing shadow on his pants though!!, That is a shadow isn't it;)

OMG I didn't see that before?!! :eek: I think it's a shadow though, since no one noticed it during the show like we noticed the construction worker's pants falling down. :rolleyes::D

 

 

We are really looking forward to it! Sorry, to veer OT, Chrystal!

 

Thanks for the info, im so interested in doing a similar trip next year :) I'm new to CC and have no idea how to send private messages or I would of asked you that way lol

 

Back to you Chrystal - sorry for getting off track.

 

No problem at all! I love the flow of information here on CC. Thank you for the info Familygoboston, sounds like a great trip. :)

[Host Faith]

Really enjoying your review. Love all the pictures. Thanks for including the curtain in the Theater. It is really beautiful. My favorite is on the Explorer.

Speaking of the Explorer, all Jersey girls(I'm a former Jersey girl) should take a cruise on the Explorer. It is wonderful to just drive to Bayonne and get right on the ship.

We have never been on the Liberty but have 21 days on her in October. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

 

You know, we've thought about sailing the Explorer too. It's on my list, after the Allure and maybe a Celebrity cruise....and Europe...LOL

 

 

lots of great pics

Thank you!

[Host Faith]

Great review and pictures!! :D

 

Thanks Lisa!

 

Chrystal, love your review and pictures. How wonderful to share a special birthday cruise with your good friends. You all look beautiful and really seemed to enjoy every moment. How funny is it that not long ago I finished reading QTMichele's wonderful Allure pictoral review and now I'm in the midst of reading your awesome Liberty review with fabulous pictures. Why funny? Because, hopefully, your next cruise review will be of your upcoming Allure cruise and Michele's will be from the Liberty in November. Cool beans. Sort of like Radio and Trainman but female :D Keep having happy sails :)

 

Thank you Bonnie! You know, that would be awesome. I follow Radio and Trainman who are incredible reviewers, it would be cool if Michele and I could pull it off! Happy Cruising to you too! :D

[Host Faith]

 



 



 



 

[Host Faith]

Honestly....I could not have asked for a more perfect day than we had in Cozumel.

 

I was pretty worried about this port stop because we only had one port of call for the entire cruise. We really wanted to see the island, have a bright, sunny day, and be able to enjoy a white-sand beach and sparkling blue water. I wasn't asking for much, right? :rolleyes::p

 

After hours on Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor, I decided to split the day into two separate trips. We hired a driver for the day, to take us to the San Gervasio Ruins, Tequila Tasting, and some leisurely driving, then asked to be dropped off at Mr. Sancho's all-inclusive for the rest of the day. We would take our own taxi back to the ship. For the sake of simplicity, I calculated the price of the entire day, split it into threes, and gave the ladies one price that covered everything we were to see.

 

Booking the driver for the day was a quick and simple process. I filled out the online form, and received a confirmation within a day. I paid the deposit with no issues, and received confirmation that Alberto was to be our driver. I actually emailed them a couple times to tweak our itinerary as I researched more and more, and they were patient, kind, and willing to assist in any way they could. It was a pleasure to work with them. I plan to book with them again when Wes and I sail the Allure this year.

 

Our day started bright and early at 7 AM ET. Cozumel was on Central time, but we left our watches and phones on EST to keep track of when we needed to get back. We surely didn't want to miss the ship! :eek: This channel on the TV served as a "window" for us a lot of mornings.

 

Edited August 30, 2012 by Host Faith
wrong link

[Host Faith]

We got dressed quickly and headed up to the Windjammer for breakfast. While waiting for the elevator, we broke into song... I don't remember what we were singing, but we were feeling a little giddy for the day ahead!

 

Crystal singing:

 

 

Rae dancing:

 

 

Me singing too:

 

 

 

The Windjammer was a madhouse! Full of people, just like us, who waited till the last minute to have breakfast :rolleyes:. We made our plates and found three chairs at one of those bar-like tables on the edge of the carpeted area. No biggie, we wouldn't be there long anyway. We scarfed down breakfast and Crystal ran to get a towel from the pool deck. I like to exchange my beach towel in the evening, so it's fresh for the morning.

[Host Faith]

We made our way to the Gangway on Deck 1, and exited the ship to find that it was a gorgeous day in Cozumel. We were in port with the Jewel of the Seas, which was dwarfed by the Liberty. I didn't realize how much smaller the Radiance class was compared to the Freedom class. We sailed the Serenade twice and had a fabulous time. Each class has something unique and wonderful about it. I'm sure we'll sail the Radiance class again in the future. It will likely be more for the ports, since they can dock at islands the larger ships can't.

 

The Liberty is on the left, Jewel on the right:

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

[JohninDC]

Keep it coming! :D

[Host Faith]

We headed for the pier exit to meet Alberto. It took us a while to find where we were supposed to go, and we walked through the market area in the midst of a bunch of compliments. One thing is for sure...they're not shy in Cozumel!

 

Found Alberto holding a sign with my name on it. We shook hands, and he led us to a bench in the shade (it was hot already!) to wait while he brought the car around.

 

 



 

 

There's Alberto and his taxi:

 

 

He drove us out of the port area and pulled over to discuss what we wanted to do for the day. He already had the itinerary I requested and confirmed what we wanted to see. He also showed us a map of the island, and gave us some perspective on where we were headed relative to the rest of Cozumel.

 

[BillOh]

The Liberty is on the left, Jewel on the right:[/color][/size][/font]

 

 

 

 

 

I thought you would never get to Cozumel! ;) I'll be there in about 30 days on Jewel. I hope she is tied up the same way that day. My cabin is on the starboard side and its usually fun to watch the late returners come back in Cozumel.

[Host Faith]

I forgot to note that we met Alberto at 8:30 AM ET.

 

The first thing we wanted to see was the ruins, but it was still a little early. So we drove through town a bit, and Alberto asked us questions to get to know us a little. He also told us a bit about himself, and a lot about daily life here. We were all surprised to learn that he had only been speaking English for two years. He sounded like he had been speaking it for much longer than that. :)

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful day. We noticed a Carnival ship arriving to the island:

 

[Host Faith]

Alberto pulled over for a second so we could see the Air Force base. I liked the stop sign out front, and the plane with the shark teeth was pretty cool:

 

 



 



 

[Host Faith]

After about another 5 minute drive, Alberto parked once more. We had a scenic stop for photos, and a monument to the history of Cozumel was across the street. He also showed us photos of his adorable daughter. She's beautiful!

 

 

 



 



 

[Host Faith]

If I recall correctly, this monument talks about the beginnings of Cozumel, and how Spanish Catholics came to the island. On the left is a Spanish priest, to the right is a Maya leader, and at the bottom is a mother and her child, bringing offerings and gifts.

 

 



 



 

 

 

Statue of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a conquistador who came to Cozumel.

 

 



 

Edited March 20, 2012 by Host Faith

[Host Faith]

We made one more stop at another monument to the history and culture of Cozumel. A gorgeous site:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

[Host Faith]

 

[Familygoboston]

 

 

 

 

 

Now, when I did my elevator day pics, I always made sure that no ones feet were in them; but when you have shoes as cute as those...well, you just have to show them off:D

 

We headed for the pier exit to meet Alberto. It took us a while to find where we were supposed to go, and we walked through the market area in the midst of a bunch of compliments. One thing is for sure...they're not shy in Cozumel!

 

See ...THIS is what I was talking about:eek:;)

[Host Faith]

Now, when I did my elevator day pics, I always made sure that no ones feet were in them; but when you have shoes as cute as those...well, you just have to show them off:D

 

We headed for the pier exit to meet Alberto. It took us a while to find where we were supposed to go, and we walked through the market area in the midst of a bunch of compliments. One thing is for sure...they're not shy in Cozumel!

 

See ...THIS is what I was talking about:eek:;)

 

HAHA!!! That's what I was thinking about the shoes! Why crop them out?! It was hard work wearing them all night :D

 

You're too funny!

[Host Faith]

So we took about 20 minutes to get to San Gervasio. We decided on these ruins because we didn't want to take the entire day to get to Tulum, but wanted to see some ruins that had historical significance. San Gervasio was built to worship the Mayan goddess Ix-Chel, the deity of fertility. People would go there to make offerings a couple times per year.

 

If you're going to go there, I recommend hiring a driver. The long road leading to the ruins was extremely bumpy, I wouldn't want to drive it myself, and I certainly wouldn't want to ride a scooter! That's just me.

 

 

[Host Faith]

I think we were some of the first people to arrive at the ruins. They only had one tour guide yet, and they asked me if we were sure we wanted to go with him because he wasn't the best one they had. We thought a guide would be very helpful and beneficial so we agreed to go with him.

 

We each paid $8 USD to enter the ruins. For some reason, we paid $4 at one desk, then another $4 at a desk closer to the entrance to the ruins. The guide was $18, and we paid him at the end of the tour. We ran to the restroom (very clean) before proceeding.

 

 

 

Our tour guide was a nice older man who was very kind.

 

 

I feel soooo bad....but we couldn't understand a lot of what he was saying. And, he took a very long time to lead us around....it was supposed to be an hour long tour, and ended up being close to two hours. That was a little frustrating since we only had Alberto for three hours, originally. We didn't want to cut him off so we stayed. Looking back, we should have said something. He did give us an appreciation of the mathematical brilliance the Maya had, as well as the deep sense of pride he had in his culture and history. We got a pretty good idea of the meaning behind the ruins and what most things there were for. We had the chance to take some great photos. It's an incredibly quiet and peaceful area. There were only about 5 other people there when we arrived, so we had the ruins to ourselves. Just beautiful.

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

 

Manitas structure, likely a residence. Note the red-colored hand prints on the walls.

 



 

 



 



 

[Host Faith]

 

 



 

 



 

There were several cute iguanas around. We would walk along the paths and not even see them until they were just about under our feet. They didn't move either, like they were thinking, "You're in MY home..YOU move!" :D

 

[Host Faith]

 



 



 

 



 

[Host Faith]

This was used to grind food. Talk about an industrial-sized mortar and pestle! :eek:

 

 

We almost stepped on this big guy. Didn't see him until this moment: